Computer and video games have become very popular. In particular the interest in playing fun free online games over the internet is increasing strongly.

Despite the growing popularity of YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook, gaming remains the king of online entertainment, driven largely by casual gaming activities.

Sites like Yahoo Games and EA’s Pogo.com offer users access to a wealth of advertisement supported free online games, where sponsors have options for branding opportunities, and display and banner ad placements.

Online games on the consoles could become a $10.5 billion business by 2011 from $981 million in 2007, according to market researcher IDC.

In 2007, online console revenue is at 2.5% of total global video game market revenue, including console and handheld hardware and software revenue. By 2011, revenue from connected consoles will represent 18.6% of total market revenue.

Although subscription revenue for premium online services and games will grow from $476 million in 2007 to over $2.4 billion in 2011, its share of online console revenue will decline from 48.5% in 2007 (already down from a high of 86.5% in 2006) to 23.2% by 2011.

Downloadable content (DLC) consisting of games and game-related items, which at $35 million in 2006 represented a 13.5% market share of online console revenue, will become connected consoles’ primary revenue source in 2007, growing from $493 million in 2007 to $7.2 billion in 2011. In 2011, game-centric DLC will make up 68.6% of online revenue.

Advertising revenue from sponsored services, in-game ads, and product placement in connected consoles will reach $12 million in 2007, posting the first significant online console ad spend. Advertising revenue will grow to $858 million in 2011, with an 8.2% market share of online revenue.

Video game growth will be strongest in the Asia Pacific region, its largest market, with a 10% annual growth rate through 2011, but will increase in the Europe/Middle East/Africa region (10.2%), the U.S. (6.7%), Canada (9.4%), and Latin America (8.2%) as well.

Certain trends hold steady across most regions: For instance, driven by increased penetration of broadband access, online gaming is surging. In the U.S. and Europe/Middle East/Africa, online gaming represents the fastest-growing consumer segment (19.3% and 24.6%, respectively); in Asia Pacific and Canada, online growth came in second only to wireless (at 16.1% and 13.9%, respectively). Other trends are more regional. The in-game advertising market is expected to increase 64% in the U.S. And in China it is expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 14.3% to $2 billion in 2011, most all of that growth will come in online games.

Spurred by the new generation of consoles and handhelds, and by increased penetration of broadband and wireless technologies, the video game industry is ripe with opportunity. “Growth in platforms allows you to hit new demographics,” says Stefanie Kane, a partner with PwC’s entertainment and media practice, noting that handheld game devices have brought more women into the market, and that the entrance of cable and on-demand TV channels will further widen the base. “There is a lot of unlocked potential.”

You might think the face of one of the hottest areas in gaming right now is a young male in his 20s who owns the latest supercharged gaming system from Microsoft or Sony – or both.

But you’d be wrong.

Instead, the epitome of the new-era gamer is a woman in her late 30s or early 40s who plays on an average PC.

Yes, the video game industry seems to have been turned on its head.

For years, the dominant themes have been faster game machines, increasingly realistic graphics, more immersive play, as well as the old standbys – blood, guts and blowin’ stuff up.

But that picture has begun to look increasingly outdated. While young men dominate the gaming industry as a whole, casual games are one of the fastest-growing parts of the industry and attracting a whole new demographic.

You can find signs of the revolution everywhere. One of the fastest-growing parts of the game industry is centred on so-called casual fun free online games, PC-based titles that users can generally start playing in minutes and usually don’t require the mastery of some combination of multiple buttons to enjoy.

The upheaval has spread to the console market, as sales of Nintendo’s Wii console and DS handheld, both of which stress fun-to-play games over powerful processors or realistic graphics, are far outstripping their supercharged competitors from Microsoft and Sony.

Revenue streams enabled by active online consoles in this cycle show the strongest growth in the sector and will not only determine the future success of the console vendors but also be crucial to the success of many third-party publishers.

Further information on fun free online games and business opportunities combining Online Games and Online Social Networking can be found at my blog.

Noel I Crowe

Skype: noel.crowe1

Noel Crowe is based in Sydney Australia and has full time interests in online home based businesses which include social networking sites involving online gaming and entertainment activities in new generation 3-D spatial virtual worlds.

Today the world is experiencing advancement in computer technology due to development in information technology. Usage of internet has made a drastic change. Even in case of games. Various online games are available to play with players worldwide. Advancement in technology made a magic in online games. The most excited product of this advanced technology with the help of internet is Virtual Online Games. A virtual world is computer generated online environment. We can find millions of user for online virtual games.

With the advancement of internet, online games have become the most popular among all age group. You can start playing game just by logging to various sites of online games. You get various options to choose. The conventional sports games such as basket ball, cricket, hockey, football, tennis, etc were originally introduced to play online, which have been left far behind. Online games are now becoming more and more interesting and interactive as you are playing the game actually. These games come in various categories such as 3D, people, pets, babies and horses.

There are some virtual games like Second Life, where we can find schools are having classes. Here teacher can teach easily with the help of slideshows and student no need to go to school. The student can watch and listen the teacher from comfort of own home. We can find various types of virtual online pet games such as dog virtual pet game, car virtual pet game, dog and cat virtual game, fish, cattle, cow, steer, horse, bull, camel, chicken, etc virtual pet games are available to play online. In these virtual pet games you have to design your pet and you can play with online.

You can even make a design a virtual plant or child to play online virtual games. Avatar is the most online virtual game. Here you can change the appearance of hair style, body features, and facial features and so on. Changes in clothing style by selecting the inventory, changing the accessories, equipments of your choice is available. You can even communicate with another online player either by chatting in writing or by voice chats. Communication is also possible with gestures. Type whatever you want to talk in the dialog box, select the user and press enter. Gestures can also be selected from the inventory. This second life virtual game also provides fly options to its users.

You can play online virtual games of sports. Every virtual sports game is the replica of game of its corresponding sports. People involved in playing online sports virtual games take it real which is more precipitated by online rating system.

Let us have a list of Virtual Online Games those are very popular among the children and adults. Second life, world of warcraft, playstations, the Sims 3, IMVU, Blue Mars, Avatar, Utherverse, Kaneva, Active world, Meet Me, etc. All these virtual games are based on two dimensional and three dimensional effects. Most of them allow live chat either in written or voice chat.

Everybody likes to play games and especially when it is not bound by time, money or space. These games are nowadays available in most of the websites. Some of these websites offer games only when the user subscribe to the sites by paying a certain amount. There are many websites which offer free online games to its users. These websites are high in demand among the users as they can play as many games online as they wish, that too without worrying about their accounts getting depleted.

Another advantage of the free games online is that they do not always require a partner. A user can play games with the computer or choose to play a single player game. It is also more convenient for today’s youngsters who are brought up in a nuclear family with no companion to play along with them. Therefore, these games over net have such popularity among today’s youth. They also serve as a great pastime for those who have leisure time at home or office. Whenever they feel bored, they can just log in to internet and spend an entertaining hour with the games available there.

List of popular free games online

The Attack of the Mutant Artificial Christmas Trees is a popular free online video game which was developed by Dallas-based Internet marketing firm, Kewlbox in 2004. It was released for online play or free download in November 2004. BlogShares is another online stock market game which is unique in its own way. It allows players to trade at any time, create their own blogs and purchase shares. This website was founded by Seyed Razavi, a graduate of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in Manchester.

Cabal Online is a game which is also 3D massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Other such games include Domain of Heroes (a text-based MMORPG), Urban Terror or UrT (a free online first person shooter created by FrozenSand) and Drift City (a Nonlinear driving RPG game developed by a Korean).

Other popular game online include Emil Chronicle Online, Endless Ages, Heat Project, Human Age, Kutar, (Lil) Green Patch, Little Fighter Online and Pet Society. Phantasy Star Online (PSO) was initially released for Dreamcast in 2000. Due to its increasing fame, Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II were later released with some added content for Nintendo GameCube and Xbox in 2002. Other versions of this online game were released in the year 2003 and 2004.

One must be wondering why these free online games come for free. Actually, the websites that create these free online games feature many advertisements. They get revenue from these ads.

These online games can be a good way of passing time, but be careful, as they are also addictive.

Many gaming companies have been introducing new games on a regular basis to keep the momentum going. Just a few minutes to download online games and start playing, for further information, Please visit our website, to know more about free online games.

Almost all boys and men love playing 3D racing games online. With high quality graphics and audio effects, these games are designed to give you the realistic feel of speeding on different vehicles.

There are many reasons why these online 3D games have become increasingly popular among the young and old men.

Excellent Sound effects and Graphics

Today, many developers have come up with some great visual displays using advanced technologies. Some of these online games look quite real and the quality of sound is much better than what it used to be. The 3D effects make them more attractive and appealing to the players.

Accessibility

You can play these games online using your desktop or any portable device like smartphone, laptop, etc, as long as it is connected to Wi-Fi or internet connection. You can also visit any of the cyber cafes, and play them online. Not all, but a very few companies charge to indulge in this activity.

Choices

You get to choose from a wide range of games, be it car, horse or dirt bike racing. You can play any game you like, at anytime of the day, without investing a penny in it. They offer different difficulty levels, such as beginner, expert, intermediate, pro, etc. You can start playing as a beginner till you get pro in it, and then switch to other levels.

Opponents

As these games are available online, you get to meet opponents from different corners of the world, and share your experiences and strengths.

Cost

Most of these games are available for free by different manufacturers. People can visit their website and start playing without purchasing or downloading them.

Playability

These 3D racing games are easy to play, and everyday you get to learn how to perform better, and enjoy your experience.

The car racing three dimensional online games are also an effective solution to improve your driving skills. They stimulate the real scenario, and thereby helping you practice driving. Players can achieve success by thinking logically, being vigilant, and exhibiting winning spirit.

How to Improve Your Driving Skill with Car Games?

Choose the game that comes with real life hindrances such as traffic rules and weather
A novice driver can begin with basic level, and then move to multiple players and modes
They stimulate the player’s blood circulation, which reduces the stress levels in their body
Great form of entertainment for all those who like adventurous sports, without putting their life at any risk
Also, consider playing car parking games, so that you learn to park your vehicle correctly

Take the advantage of playing online 3D racing games today. There are endless choices for you to choose from, and finding the one that you like is not a difficult task. You can go through online user reviews on the respected websites, and choose accordingly. You can now enjoy this incredible gaming experience with just a click of your mouse.

We offer some of the most interesting online games. Please feel free to visit our website and check out all the racing games that you can play for free.

With the advent of the internet, more and more opportunities have come up in many areas such as finance, fashion, marketing, business, design as well as entertainment. In the entertainment sector, not only has it helped media marketing, it has also helped the gaming industry, or specifically the online gaming industry. Online games are played over the internet from single players all the way to multi players. With Flash and Java installed in practically all well known web browsers, websites now can use video, audio and other user interactivity in their online content.

Some of the very well known online games that has an established reputation and a loyal following of fans include WarCraft, Red Alert, Counter Strike, Final Fantasy series, Diner Dash and a whole lot more. These online games fall into different categories that gamers identify with. For example, Action and adventure Games are type of games that involve very elaborate and detailed setting, with fighting, wars and a quest. Arcade Games are of course found in your friendly neighborhoods where you put in coins or tokens to play. Strategy games are identified by stages whereby the player needs to cleverly strategies his/her games to reach the final episode. Strategy games take a while to complete. There are also shooting games and sports games that use football, basketball, golf, tennis and skiing.

With the internet, a new genre of games has emerged. These new hybrids are called online RPG games or role playing games as well as free multiplayer online games. In online role-playing games, it is a game where the players take on a role of a fictional character. Role playing games concentrate more on social interaction and collaboration rather than on competition. this is what sets them apart from conventional games. This type of games are designed centered around scenarios such as mafia games and gangster games where there is a game master who actually is the head honcho, the mafia boss or a drug lord and the other players are considered his allies, his ‘men’. Some of the popular RPG mafia games are such as The Mafia Boss. The Mafia Boss is actually a free Multiplayer Online Game, based on the Real Mafia Life so called “La Cosa Nostra”. Players get into the role of being Mafia Don like Al Capone or John Gotti. Other popular games are such as Fazconi, The Real Mafia Game.

Apart from mafia games, gangster games are also popular in the online RPG circuit. In gangster games, it’s the survival of the fittest where strategies, wit and intelligent alliances can win you the game. Gangster games revolve around steal a nice shiny new Cadillac, shipping some bootleg booze and getting your gangster buddies together to rob the local bank. Some examples of gangster online games are such as Omerta, Lady Gangster, and American Gangster.

Online games are very popular because they are highly interactive, some are free, you join in a virtual setting where you can call the shots, you get to live up to your fantasies and best of all, you meet new people with the same similar interests as you. Online games, though exciting, can be very addictive as well.

Electronic gaming has evolved dramatically in recent years. As data bandwidth, processing power and screen resolutions steadily increase; developers are keeping pace to provide more realistic and immersive Internet entertainment experiences. It is hard to imagine a world without the wealth of online games that today’s web surfers have come to expect, but the history of online gaming goes back well before the mainstream adoption of the Internet.

The first games to be played over computer networks were developed in the early 1970s. These were built on multi-user timeshare terminals at universities. The latter part of that decade saw the arrival of multi-user dungeons (MUD,) which later evolved into multi-access dungeons (MAD) and massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG.)

In 1985, the game Islands of Kesmai was released for users of the commercial CompuServe computer network. With graphics made up of ASCII text characters, this multi-player RPG bore little resemblance to the games of today; but in many ways, it was a precursor to the modern MMORPG. The fantasy role playing battles of this game were among the earliest ancestors of today’s online fighting games.

Later in the 1980s, the first games were developed which used the Internet Protocol (IP) to communicate. In 1991, the game Neverwinter Nights was released for AOL subscribers. This is widely hailed as the first 3D graphical MMORPG. As the Internet grew in popularity among the general public, the 1990s saw an explosion of role playing, shooter, strategy and online fighting games with multiplayer capabilities. Some of the most notable are Doom, Warcraft and Quake.

By the year 2000, most commercial game software packages featured the ability to play online against other players. Although many of the most popular online games were designed for multiplayer action, developers were quick to take advantage of Internet technologies such as Flash and JavaScript to create single-player games as well.

The year 2002 saw the launch of gaming networks such as XBox Live and Steam. As social networks grew in popularity throughout the decade, companies such as Zynga jumped on the bandwagon to create casual games that users could play against their friends. Today, the options for online gaming range from commercial software packages, to social network gaming, to browser based games and even mobile apps.

Gamers no longer need to subscribe to expensive online services or purchase commercial software packages to play online. For those who want a convenient and fun gaming experience, there are plenty of sites that offer online fighting games and a variety of other challenges that can be played right now, right in your web browser.

If you’re a gamer, you understand how easy it is to lose track of time while you’re playing cool games online. Time really starts flying when you really get into a great game, it happens to everyone. The problem only arises when you let time fly by so fast that your work, studies, social or love life start to suffer because of it. Video game addiction is actually a recognized addition that people actually seek treatment for today. Of course, this can be avoided. Simple use of time management you can enjoy you’re online recreational gaming time and keep up with life at the same time. Someone once said “All good things in moderation”, and this applies almost especially to playing awesome online games. You can’t skip work or school, so what winds up suffering is your sleep. Over time you can develop forced insomnia, and your work and/or school can suffer anyway. The only real secret to getting to enjoy the games you love without making the rest of your life suffer is managing your time.

It could be an online arcade game, a first-person shooter, or a massively multiplayer role-playing game. Regardless of what cool games online you’re playing, it can really take up a lot of your time, energy, and patience before you even realize it. Actually, there are a lot of games that can help you improve your reflexes, hand-eye co-ordination, and problem solving skills. Online multiplayer games can even help you develop social and communication skills. The problem is when you fail to keep track of time. If you get too engulfed in the gameplay other parts of your life will start to suffer as a result. Hopefully the tips provided to you here can help you successfully manage your time in a way that allows you to enjoy your time spent playing cool games online and still take care of all your daily responsibilities.

The first, and most “common-sense” thing you can do to help make sure that your ‘real life’ doesn’t suffer is to take care of school, work and/or home duties first. Make sure that any and all homework, overnight work assignments, or house hold chores are taken care of before sitting down to game. Daily responsibilities can be tiresome, but gaming can take energy as well. It’s important to make sure that you don’t spend all of your energy on gaming before you even start on the more important things. Prioritization is really helpful in time management. Developing the ability to successfully prioritize can really pay off in other aspects of life later on as well. It also helps to take a bit of a rest after you finish all your personal responsibilities. Having a healthy snack and taking a quick power nap can really let you feel refreshed when you sit down to game. Taking care of “business” can take a lot out of you. Since gaming also requires a certain amount of energy to do well; it makes perfect sense to recharge part of the way through the day. It is probably best to avoid caffeine and energy drinks as partaking of these can affect your sleep patterns and lead to unpleasant “crashes” in your energy levels.

Another neat way to manage you time while gaming is to use an alarm clock. One of the reasons you lose track of time while playing cool games online is because you aren’t looking at a clock. Even if the game you’re playing isn’t running in full-screen mode, if you’re really into the game you’re playing you’re not likely to stop to see what time it is. Set yourself some limits. You can even use this as a chance to test your skills and challenge yourself. Instead of lazing around and having no real set goals for accomplishments, set an alarm for an hour or two. Make it so that your goal is to finish the next level in that time, or less! Be responsible. Make sure that you turn of the game and go to bed in plenty of time to get enough sleep. Sleep is a really important part of your body’s health. Without enough rest your body can become weak and vulnerable to infection. Get at least six to eight hours of sleep every night to make sure that you wake up alert and refreshed in the morning. This will make sure that you’re ready to start the new day and do it all over again!

Are you looking for some free games to play online ANYTIME? These days, almost everyone has access to the Internet and there are a lot of free online games that many of us are playing in our spare time. So whether you are looking for online weird games to play, or if you are into the classics – you should be able to find them and play them online! Education games for the kiddies are in abundance on the Internet – however, it is strongly advised that before allowing your children to play free online games, you should be checking the legitimacy of the website! It is an idea to download the games yourself, so that your kids can safely play them offline later!

Free Online Games
Free online games are a favourite pastime of a lot of people. There are SO many out there, that you are guaranteed to find something that you will enjoy. So what sorts of games do you like to play? Are you new to the whole online games thing? Are your kids sick of the Nintendo Wii – well give them something different to play! Find some free online games TODAY! But what about you… what about games for adults? – Surprisingly, there are HEAPS out there! Contrary to popular belief, not all of the online games out there are designed for the kiddies! Many free online games are rather mentally stimulating! Online weird games – you know the ones… you usually find out about them from the quirky guy in the office with WAY too much time on his hands! Free online games, Do you know where to find them?

Where can YOU Find Free Games to Play Online Anytime, Day or Night?
So where can you find free games to play online anytime, day or night? Maybe you cannot sleep and are sick and tired of all of those very informative infomercials… What’s that? Oh man, no friends are online on Facebook – BORING! What now? Hmmm, let’s see. Maybe a free online game is in order! If you enjoy multi-player games, you will always have fun, whether day or night – as someone will always be online to play against you!

Do you know what is so awesome about the Net? It never sleeps! And do you know what that means? It means that you will ALWAYS find some free games to keep you entertained – day or night! Instead of losing precious brain cells sitting in front of the TV watching those boring and repetitive infomercials, play some free online games! Sweet, you have found a game… Is the website legit? You do not want to jeopardise you computers safety, or YOUR safety!

How to Find Legitimately FREE Gaming Sites on the Internet!
Now, you need to be a bit careful when playing a game online. For a few major reasons… The number one reason is obviously your safety. You don’t want your computer hacked into, or your kids talking to strangers! You also may find that a lot of websites that claim to be FREE, usually only have a few levels that you can play for free, and then you are charged to download it – or subscribe to it. That is why it is worth checking things like that out! Whoo-hoo, you can play the first 3 levels for free, then what? You get BORED – again! There is no need to stress though! There are legitimate websites that offer entire free games that you can play online – even downloadable!

What sorts of Games can YOU Play Online?
Honestly, there are SO many different genres of games out there – even if you are into weird games, you will definitely be able to find some online weird games! Boy oh boy, will you be able to find some weird games! Try typing it into your search engine of choice! You will probably find a lot of those little obscure games – that are usually highly addictive mind you! If you like role playing games, or strategy games, you will find a lot online that you can play for free! Are you a wordy gamer? Do you like to use your brain? Maybe you like shooting things? Either way, there is bound to be something online that will suit your mood or personality! Awesome and legitimate online free games? Yes, they are out there, if you know where to look! So what are you waiting for… take the time to check it out first! Started looking? How good is it? No more solitaire! Yay! Free online games – you never, ever know what you may find!

Gamesoid offers the perfect free online games like no other site. The most popular games like puzzle free games, adventure games and other online games can be found at this amazing site. Come visit today.

Games that can be played online, with the help of the internet are often touted as online games. These games are played with the help of a computer and will require a feasible internet connection. The arena of online games is quite vast and is largely beyond the scope of 500 words, yet the author intents to pen down some of the important aspects of online gaming. There are many reasons so as to why online games are much preferred to offline games, we shall be looking into some of them too in this article.

There is distinct difference between online and offline games. The world of online gaming is still new to many and many in the developing and under developed nations still resort to offline gaming. In offline gaming the gamer will be challenging the artificial intelligence which has been programmed into the game and in online games the players will be virtually challenging other players. This adds to the realism because other gamers are controlling the other characters and hence the whole procedure will be challenging. This is one of the advantages and this happens to be one of the pioneer reasons for online gaming being much preferred to offline gaming.

Online games are broadly classified into free and paid online games. Free games can be downloaded and played free, while paid games will require you to pay for the downloading and game play process. You will be able to play free in the various online servers that are catering to this niche. Online servers are set up either by the game company or by the players themselves. A good and a reliable internet connection are required for the game play and it is much preferred to have a wired internet connection than a wireless internet connection.

Like the advantages, there are many disadvantages associated with this form of gaming. The main factor that comes into play in here is the addiction problems. Multiplayer online games are addictive in nature, because you are playing with other like humans. Some of the online games will require you t spend money for upgrading in-game activities and you might end up paying for more on those days. These simple marketing tactics are intended to fleece gamers out of their hard-earned money. However, some people have made gaming as their livelihood. They earn money developing and acting as a beta tester for game companies.

Online gaming is not allowed at work places all over the world. People tend to concentrate on such games during their work hours and this should be largely discouraged. Usually there are strict policies with the help of which such activities are always kept under control. Making use of precious bandwidth of the company is not tolerable and various firms resort to laying off such employees. The same can be applicable to children also who are hooked up in online gaming activities, they might ignore their studies and will end up hurting their future.